Tisha B'Av

The Jewish holiday ofTisha B’Av is a day of mourning to commemorate the many tragedies that have befallen the Jewish people. Test your knowledge on the history of Tisha B’Av.

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Question 1 of :

Question 1 The day called Tisha B’Av means the _____ day of the month Av on the Jewish calendar.

In Hebrew, Tisha B’Av literally means “the ninth of Av.”

First
Fifth
Ninth
Thirty-first

Question 2 Tisha B’Av is observed as a day of _____.

Tisha B’Av is known as the saddest day on the Jewish calendar, for reasons we will soon learn.

Jubilation
Mourning
Singing
Harvesting

Question 3 As the saddest day for the Jewish people, one believed to be destined for tragedy, Tisha B’Av was the date of which event?

Both the First and Second Temples were destroyed on the 9th day of the month of Av, as were ten rabbis who were murdered by the Romans following the Second Temple’s destruction.

Destruction of the First Temple
Destruction of the Second Temple
Murder of the Ten Martyrs
All of the above

Question 4 Tisha B’Av normally falls during this season:

Tisha B’Av is observed either during July or August on the Western calendar.

Winter
Spring
Summer
Fall

Question 5 Tisha B’Av is one of two full-day fasts among Jewish observances. The other full-day fast is:

The holiest of all Jewish holy days, Yom Kippur is the Day of Atonement. On this day, just as on Tisha B’Av, Jews fast for 25 hours.

Rosh HashanahYom KippurTu B'ShvatPurim

Question 6 Besides refraining from food or drink for a full day, Jews are also prohibited from _____ on Tisha B’Av.

Jews may not do any of these actions during the fasting period, nor may they engage in marital relations. Of course, in the case of health issues, these restrictions are waived.

Bathing
Applying creams or oils
Wearing leather shoes
All of the above

Question 7 Tisha B’Av is also the culmination of a period of mourning that lasts for:

This period is called “The Three Weeks,” or Bein HaMitzarim in Hebrew, beginning on Shivah Asar B’Tammuz (the 17th day of the month of Tammuz) and ending on ,em>Tisha B’Av.

Three weeks
Three months
Forty days and forty nights
A fortnight

Question 8 This book of the Bible is traditionally read on Tisha B’Av:

Traditionally read on Tisha B’Av, Lamentations includes this verse (1:3) which gives another name (“between narrow straits”) to the period of mourning: “Judah has gone into captivity, under affliction and hard servitude; she dwells among the nations, she finds no rest; all her persecutors overtake her in dire straits.”

Ecclesiastes
Lamentations
Song of Songs
Numbers

Question 9 The First Temple was built by this biblical figure:

King Solomon, the son of David, constructed the First Temple, which was destroyed – on Tisha B’Av – by Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar after the siege of Jerusalem in 587 BC.

Samuel
David
Daniel
Solomon

Question 10 The Second Temple was destroyed by the _____.

After the destruction of the First Temple, King Herod rebuilt the holy site in Jerusalem, known as the Second Temple. The Second Temple stood for six centuries until the Roman legions, under Titus, destroyed it – again on Tisha B’Av – in 70 AD.